Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1887-08-31
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THE TWO KINGS.

LIE wv hlINOD'
You might have had your pick of a
thousand bordermen and found none to
equal him. You might have selected from
every herd of wild horses on the prairies
and found hone to match the coal black
steed.
It is 10 o'clock in the day as they follow
the blind trail along the Little Colorado.
To the west are the White Mesa Noun
tains. the home of the grizzly and the
cinnamon-the hiding place of the great
gray wolf-full of gloomy canyons in which
death lurks-here and there a valley in
which the bones of white men lay bleach
ing in the monday sun.
10 the east the plains, cut through by
Indian trails-washed and quilted by the
cloud-bursts-heaved into fantastic shapes
by the awful power of the earthquake:
The courage which separates man from
kith and kin and the world to dwell with
himself amidst hourly dangers is not to
be questioned. Men who die bravely on
the battlefield would draw back in alright
after one look into a mountain canyon at
high noon. They are aWed at the very
thought of the terrible travail which rent
the great hill asunder. The darkness
which falls into the rift tells of a thousand
dangers. The faint echoes which reach the
ear seem to tell you to fly to a place OF
safety.
Watch the %pair-horse and rider as they
slowly pass. There are four ears to listen,
four eyes to watch. No artist could picture
more grace and strength and confidence.
The rife is ready with its deadly bullet
the muscles of the horse culver at the
thought of d long run in which he will
leave the wind behind. There Is danger,
but both are ready. There is wild exulta-
ton in knowing there is danger.
Just here a wedge-shaped ledge of rock
crowds down almost to the river. once
past it and there is an acre of grass land,
an open basin in which the violets q
paIsies bloom as if to smooth some OF the
mountain wrinkles of age away. Here
the hares scamper Il play; mere tne
after a night of fury and destruction,
Nature relented as day came again and
crowded back the rocks to create this
basin as a peace Offering.
StopI
The hunters horse has scarcely trampled
the violets under foot when from the OPP
posite side rides forth another horseman.
It is an Indian chief. The proud feathers
| of the eagle designate his rank. The man
ner in which he sits his horse proves him
a king. None but a king could ride that
horse-his eyes flashing, his nostrils quiv.
ering, his muscles standing outlike wires
The two kings are face to face. One is
king of his tribe, the other of mountain,
prairie and plain. Each bears the scars of
score of conflicts. At the red kings belt
bangles a score of scalps. In the stock OF
the white kings rifle are cut a dozen
notches. The red king wears an armlet
of the claws of the grizzly bear. The
white king can dangle before him the
great teeth of the same monster.
You listen for shouts of surprise and de-
fiance. There are o n You look for
some swift movement Of ofense or de-
Tense. There is none. Horse to horse
man to marking to king-they stare at
either rifle be raised a foot and blood
would flow. Let either horse paw the
ground and the conflict would begin.
There is scarcely a culver of the eyelid as
the kings inspect each other. The horses
tremble with excitement, but not hoof
is raised.
The seconds whirl away-one-tWo-
three minutes 20 by. That basin would
have held a thousand spectators, and du-
ring those three minutes each man would
have lived a day. The suspense would
have paled every face and made every
limb tremble.
See!
Their right hands go up as if linked to-
gether. The palm of each is outward.
That signifies a truce. Each horse moves
slowly forward and the men almost touch
each other as they pass. Each has found
in the other a king. A struggle between
them must end the death of both. They
are not to be friends, but the fight is post
poned for a day-a week-a year-until
one can secure an advantage. Hands up
palms outward. Hunters and warriors
have often broken the pledge, but these
men will not. Kings give their pledge
and die to keep it. They look defiantly
into each others eyes as they pass, and
then their backs are toward each other.
A coward would turn and shoot. Kings
are not towards. There is no fear of
t%reachery. ,
And they ride to the east and the west
and pass out of sight and hearing, and the
hares which ran away in alarm come back
to nibble at the sweet grasses, and the
brown bird whose nest and young were
almost crushed underfoot returned to
soothe the fright of the hedglings and tell
them that there is peace on earth.-DetroH
Free Press.
HOW STONEWALL JACKSON FELL.
A flor nioht foil Stonewall Jackson rode